Drill rigs are commonly used in oil and gas production and well service operations and include heavy duty machinery to bore substantial distances below the earth's surface. The drill rigs are often located in remote locations, and the heavy duty machinery is expensive to maintain and can cause significant personnel and equipment damage in a short period of time. In addition, changes in environmental conditions and/or the location of the drill rig may adversely affect operations and maintenance of the heavy duty machinery. As a result, local personnel are often required to monitor the operations, identify operating trends and/or imminent events, and take appropriate actions to prevent or mitigate personnel and/or equipment damage.
In some cases, remote monitoring of the drill rig may supplement the knowledge, training, resources, and/or experience of the local personnel to enhance the safe and efficient operation of the heavy duty equipment. For example, remote monitoring may enable more accurate and sophisticated analysis of operating parameters to improve trend analysis, facilitate maintenance scheduling, and/or anticipate imminent equipment failures or unsafe operating practices. As a result, an improved system and method for communicating with drill rigs would be useful.